Public Option and Capped Rate Reforms Would Have Limited Effects on Health Systems' Financial Health without Worsening Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Access to Care

Policymakers, analysts, and advocates continue to explore the potential implications of a public insurance option and a related reform that would limit the prices providers could charge to any private insurer. Whenever substantial cost containment initiatives are explored, however, there are concerns that lower provider revenue could disrupt provider finances and adversely affect patients' access to quality health care services. Access-to-care concerns associated with cost containment strategies are amplified when considering the implications for hospitals that disproportionately serve populations that have historically experienced the greatest barriers to adequate and affordable health care, including Black non-Hispanic, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native people.